Charge sheet details alleged threats, abuse by MTI

Mar. 21, 2014 - 06:00AM
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A former military training instructor who goes on trial Monday at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland is accused of threatening to cut off a recruit’s testicles, and ordering recruits to lie about how one trainee got a black eye and to keep silent about her “unauthorized training methods,” according to a charge sheet in the case.

Staff Sgt. Annamarie Ellis, who is assigned to the 559th Aerospace Medicine Squadron, is charged with maltraining and maltreating basic trainees, cruelty and obstruction of justice between 2009 and 2010.

Ellis was an instructor for Lackland’s 323rd Training Squadron, according to the charge sheet.

In addition to six specifications of maltreatment and five specifications of maltraining, Ellis is accused of impeding an investigation when she allegedly told trainees to lie about how a recruit, identified as victim 3, got a black eye sometime between between August and October 2009, the charge sheet said. The document does not say how the recruit received the black eye.

During that same period, the document alleges, Ellis threatened to cut off the testicles of a recruit identified as “John Doe.”

Ellis is charged with telling trainees in late 2009 and early 2010 not to discuss what happened in her flight with anyone outside it, according to the charge sheet. In spring 2010, she instructed recruits “not to tell leadership about her unauthorized training methods,” it said,although it does not say what those methods were.

Ellis is also accused of improperly handling letters and postcards that were addressed to trainees.

All of the alleged offenses occurred at least a year before a scandal of trainer misconduct emerged at Lackland in summer 2011. Since then, the Air Force has made dozens of changes to basic training, including stricter oversight for instructors.

Ellis’ general court-martial is scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday.